Google's Self-Driving Car (V2V)

Until recently, self-driving cars were thought to be a thing of science fiction movies, but due to advancements in technology, car companies are making this a reality. Mercedes Benz just released their 2014 S-class sedan that is equipped with a self-driving feature that allows hands free driving for speeds less than 18 mph. Google’s self-driving Prius and Lexus have been shown to drive more smoothly and safely than their trained professional drivers [4]. The benefits would be too numerous to count. Imagine being able to sleep on the way to work or drastically reduce commute times. The efficiently of intersections have been shown to increase 200-300 times with the use of autonomous vehicles [6]. Many people that are impaired or disabled would …show more content…
The first of which is a system of sensors that give the car a 360-degree view of the conditions surrounding the car. These sensors can determine if the car in front of you is braking or if there is a car in your blind spot. They also can provide parking assistance and active collision prevention. The automotive industry has named these type of sensors V2V or vehicle-to-vehicle systems. At some level, V2V systems are already in most high-end cars and are proving to be quite effective. The Google Prius operates with a sophisticated version of the V2V system called LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). These Google cars have been operating for several years and have already logged more than 200,000 miles. The LiDAR system is unique because it provides the option to be retrofitted onto any car. This feature is essential if autonomous vehicles are to gain wide spread acceptance quickly. The downside to the present LiDAR system is that it costs more than $70,000 and is not yet available to the general public …show more content…
The two that I feel would have the greatest impact are loss of business for certain industries and safety. It’s hard to anticipate the full economic repercussions, but there would definitely be some businesses that would suffer because of the autonomous vehicle transition. If the fuel economy of the cars is greatly increased, the oil and gas companies could expect see a drastic reduction in profits. The car companies themselves might see a long term drop in profits. If the cars are being driven more carefully and receiving less daily wear and tear, the average consumer might wait longer when buying a new car. Some states have existing product liability laws that place the car companies at fault in the case of an accident